Sunday, March 25, 2012

Throughout history, leaders
have used the mountaintop, or “high places” as a point of their
reflection, a moment of rest, a vista for the way forward.

Moses received some pretty
good lessons on a mountaintop; Jesus had a number of significant experiences
and lessons in His mountaintop moments.

In his “I’ve been to the
Mountaintop” speech, Martin Luther King experienced the mountaintop and saw a
view of the Promised Land… he never got to see it this side of The Gates, but
passed through them the next day.

Nelson Mandela looked back over his journey from a high place - “After
climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.
I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that
surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can rest only for
a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for
my long walk is not yet ended.” (Nelson Mandela, former president, Republic of
South Africa)

There’s something about
viewing our work, our organizations from a different perspective, from high up,
one can view just how big and small some of our efforts and problems really
are. While there are dozens of metaphoric lessons on leadership
and the mountaintop experience, let me share just a few….

The journey is long, travel light. WOW,
it’s easy to carry the baggage of ego, our marred identity (I am the job, I am
the title), and the God Complexes (if I don’t do it, the organization will
collapse) with us on this journey, but frankly too much attention is paid to
leadership and not nearly enough to stewardship. We are not owners but merely stewards, of our work, of our
teams, of our resources…. For such a time as this.

Don’t be overwhelmed by how far the peak looks. Strategic planning is good, forward thinking is
good, but looking too far ahead results in two things: we feel overwhelmed by
the distance, and forget how quickly things can change. So take time to plan, to give a glance
at the journey ahead, but stay focused and take it one step at a time, making sure
to stop and celebrate those victories and milestones along the way.

Hey, did you notice, you’re not on this journey alone? So
little about leadership truly rests with individual effort. There are the
select few that hold the title, and have the perks, but it’s the real leader
who recognizes their true role is in acknowledging those with them on the
journey, strengthening and cheering them on in the climb.

Carry someone else’s load and let them carry yours. It is
the rare and right leader who is both willing to shoulder the load of others,
and who humbles themselves to let others carry theirs. We move in and out of our leader and
follower roles, carrying each other’s burdens, sharing the load.

At the peak, stop, rest, and enjoy the view. Here’s
the moment to savor, to look back from where you’ve come, to reflect on the
people who’ve made the journey with you and the moments that got you here. When the noise of the day-to-day quiets
down, it’s easier to hear the things that are important for the way ahead. All that loomed large down in the
valley is suddenly so small. And
the important visions for the future break through. Stop, savor, reflect and rejoice.

One deep breath and down you go. While it may be tempting to
stay up on the mountain, or live for those mountaintop experiences, it is,
however, in the valley that the real work happens, its where our calling lies,
laboring and working for solutions to big problems, building up and edifying
those around us. With greater
clarity between the insignificant and the important because of those
mountaintop experiences.

For the last 16 years I’ve
walked alongside many amazing leaders from all around the world. Together we’ve gathered for an annual
residency somewhere in Africa, Asia or Latin America to study and discuss ideas
about faith, service and leadership in ministry and NGO work. Those annual residencies are
mountaintop experiences for me, and many a student has shared that they are for
them as well…. Times to step away, be quiet, reflect and grapple with the day-to-day
realities of leading their organizations.

It is their faces I will
reflect on when I sit atop Kilimanjaro in July. Not only my own leadership journey, but their stories as
well, will be with me. For every
one of these great leaders, there are dozens of others who could have a greater
impact with their work, if only they had further opportunities for leadership
development. But the financial
resources are ALWAYS a challenge. That’s where you come in. Would you consider supporting one of these leaders today,
“carrying some of their load” while they carry the huge burden of serving the
poor in the hard places of the world? http://www.alumni.eastern.edu/reachingpeaks

Saturday, March 10, 2012

As a graduate student of Eastern’s International Development Program I have studied alongside classmates and under professors representing Madagascar, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. Their personal and professional life experience has significantly sharpened my understandings of international development. Last year I moved to Uganda to complete my studies and get some "dirt under my fingernails” experience. My first few months here were spent interning with a women’s organization started and run by Ugandans themselves. The experience gave me the opportunity to interview leaders of various Ugandan-run organizations and sit in meetings with high level decision makers in government. Often I was the only foreigner in the room feeling like a spy on what seems to be a dual line of development. It was amazing to hear community leaders testify of change in areas of Gender Based Violence, improved economic yield in terms of agriculture, higher levels of education for girls, and stronger communities that result from regular meetings facilitated by local nonprofits.

There are many positions of influence within African countries and societies that foreigners cannot and will not effectively reach. A leader who intimately understands the way people of their culture think, who has experienced the struggle of their counterparts, but still incessantly pushes for a better future, holds authority. Long term, deeply rooted development comes from those who lead their own communities.

Last year a speaker at Eastern quoted Desmond Tutu as saying, “Africans do not ask, ‘does God exist?’ Africans ask, ‘why is Africa so poor?’” This statement has ringed in my ears over the last year as I have struggled to gain insight to the question. No matter how many circles of thought I run around, I always come back to the need for strong leadership that flows from the citizens of Africa themselves.

Building capacity of local leaders is one of the most sustainable forms of giving. As a self-funded climber, I am pleased to hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro in support of raising African leaders. All of the money donated to Eastern University’s SLD program will go toward scholarships for African students. To be clear, for the purposes of this fundraiser, African leaders indicates leaders who are pursuing a graduate degree through Eastern’s International Development program or Organizational Leadership program and are natural citizens of a country in Africa.

If you are interested in learning more about the climb and how to give click here.